


Run Baby Run

by SneetchesToo



Series: A Broken Heart Still Beats [1]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:15:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28388391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SneetchesToo/pseuds/SneetchesToo
Summary: Making calls about the death of a colleague was never easy, but it was even harder when the colleague was also a friend, and even more so, when the person on the other end of the call is too.So wait, keep your heart insideMy hands won't keep it safeI'll just feed on dreams, and smile as hope slowly dies
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Michelle Blake & Owen Strand, Michelle Blake/Owen Strand, Owen Strand & Gwyneth Morgan
Series: A Broken Heart Still Beats [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125722
Comments: 88
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *After seeing the promos I couldn’t help but wonder how the phone call to Michelle would go if it really is Tim that passes. Obviously I don’t know that it’s him for sure and this is just a ‘what if’ scenario.  
> **The fic title is from the song “Run Baby Run” by the Rigs.  
> ***Mostly Owen/Michelle, mentions to TK/Carlos.

It was never an easy call to make.

Not to a colleague’s family, not to their friends, their loved ones or even just people they worked alongside.

It didn’t matter the relationship.

Telling a person that someone they once knew had died in the line of duty was always hard.

But it was even harder when that someone was a friend of your own.

And it was even worse when the person on the other end of the phone was someone you cared for dearly as well.

Which is what made it so much harder for Owen to make the call he was preparing too.

Sure, telling Tim’s family of his passing had been hard.

And while protocol would have had it that Tommy should have made that call, he would never do that to the woman.

Not two weeks into her shift.

Not when she barely knew the person she was calling about, or the people on the other end of the phone.

But Owen did know them, and Tim’s mother had always been a popular talking point for the man and while Owen didn’t know her personally, he felt connected to her.

And he had been the one to officially break the news at the firehouse, again, not wanting to saddle Tommy with that burden either.

There had been more tears than he had seen in a while, and after watching Nancy, Marjan, and TK have moments of their own where they just, lost it, he had felt his own heart starting to ache at what had just happened.

He had almost walked away from the situation and moved on, thinking all his calls were made and his announcements were over.

But then Judd had looked him dead in the eye and asked the question that made him freeze in place and lose his ability to speak.

“Do you wanna call Michelle, or should I?” It had never occurred to him that he needed to contact the woman, and for what reason, he wasn’t sure.

Sure she wasn’t in Austin anymore, but she had only been in New York for two months, it’s not like it had been years.

“I’ll do it.” It had to be him, he’d feel wrong if it had been anyone else.

So he had sulked his entire drive home and played over in his head how he was going to tell the woman that the man that she had been working alongside for almost a decade, a man that she had grown up with, a man who was one of her closest friends, was now dead.

He had picked up the phone five times before he had even stepped into the shower.

But he just couldn’t make the call.

So he had gotten cleaned up and fixed himself a cup of coffee and then he had moved to sit outside.

He wasn’t sure why, it’s not like the air was the freshest.

But he needed to clear his head.

“I can practically hear the gears in that head of yours spinning.” He had almost forgotten Gwyn was still there and the sound of her voice startled him.

“I uh…” He didn’t even know if he could say the words out loud to her, his heart had just had enough today.

“It’s okay Owen.” She reached out and squeezed his shoulder before moving to sit behind him. “TK called and told me, he was pretty shaken up, but he was worried about you.”

“It’s never easy, losing one of your own.” He turned to eye her softly before sniffling, turning his attention back to the dog at his feet. “And now I have to make a phone call… and I uh… I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Parents?” He shook his head back and forth.

Calling Tim’s mother hadn’t even made his heart hurt this much.

“His um, his old paramedic captain.” Saying that Michelle was the old anything made his heart twist in his chest. “She moved, to take care of her sister. It’s uh, it’s temporary. But her and Tim, they were close.”

“I take it this woman would be Michelle?” He wasn’t sure what Gwyn knew about her, but it made him nervous and she must have noticed. “TK has mentioned her before. As have you…”

“She was a good paramedic.” And an even better friend, and well, whatever she was to him before she left.

“I take it she was more than just a good paramedic…?” They may have been divorced the better part of 16 years but she still knew him better than anyone and it scared him.

“Yeah well…” He felt his phone buzz in his hand and when he saw Judd’s name appear he sighed.

_Called Michelle yet?_

_No._

_Do it, Carlos said she’ll find out online soon enough. Don’t want that to happen._

_Definitely not. On it._

“I gotta make this call Gwyn…” It’s not that he minded her presence during the call, it’s just, well, Michelle might.

But being the woman that she was she simply nodded her head before squeezing his shoulder once more and walking away.

He took a deep breath as he looked down at his phone.

He could do this, he had to do this.

Scrolling through his contacts he hovered his finger over Michelle’s name before letting out sigh.

And the next thing he knew the line was ringing.

He held his breath until she answered.

The cheery sound of her voice made him slam his eyes closed as he fought back the tears.

She had no idea what was coming and he hated that he had to be the one to break her spirit, again.

“I wasn’t expecting your call until tomorrow night.” Yeah, well, it wasn’t like he had planned this either. “How are you?”

“I’m uh…” He took another deep breath as he tried to get his brain to function properly. “Michelle… there was um.”

He could hear her movements stop on the other end of the line and she must have sensed that something was up.

“There was an incident, in the field earlier today.” A tragic accident was more like it, but saying that to her would instantly spark panic and he knew it. “We um… we lost someone.”

“Who?” He could hear the fear in her voice, the worry and the sadness and he suddenly hated himself for agreeing to do this.

He should have let Judd do it.

Or better yet, Carlos.

They had known her the longest, they would have been much better at this.

“Tim.” The gasp that she let out on the other end of the line fractured his heart in two.

He didn’t even know what to say next so he just sat silently and waited.

“How… how’s Nancy?” Leave it to Michelle to always be worried about someone other than herself. “Is she okay? What about his mom? Did someone call her? Sometimes she goes out of town this time of year and…”

“I talked to his mom this morning.” She let out a breath and he wished that he was there to hold her, to wrap her in his arms and take away her pain. “She’s… devastated, as she should be. She said she will definitely be in touch once any arrangements or plans have been made.”

He had assured her that the costs would be taken care of, that she just had to plan everything, and she had promised to make sure that his fire and paramedic family were welcome.

“And Nancy?” He was hoping to avoid that question because everything inside him hurt at the thought of what that poor woman was going through.

She had tried so hard to save him, as had Tommy, but there was something about watching her fight for her best-friend’s life that had made things inside him awaken.

Things that he hadn’t had to face in almost 20 years.

“She’s heartbroken.” That was an understatement. “Marjan got a hold of one of her sisters, she’s coming to stay with her for a few days, help her out.”

The sob that left Michelle’s lips on the other end was devastating in itself.

“I should be there.” He knew that she would say that.

But Iris needed her and he was afraid of what would happen if she left, even if it was just for a couple of days.

“I know.” And he wanted her there.

Partly because he was selfish and he missed her like crazy and he didn’t want to go through this alone.

But also because she had been Tim’s mentor and friend, hell, she had been his family.

It was only right that she was there to mourn him in person.

“Let me call my mom, and um…” She let out a sigh and he held his breath. “Let me see what I can do. I’ll call you back.”

“Okay.” That word sounded so harsh leaving his lips in a situation like this, but he was at a loss for words right now. “Call me if you need me.”

But those words, well those words he meant.

He had reassured her that even though she was thousands of miles away from him, that he was always there for her, day or night, no matter what.

That part didn’t have change just because she moved.

And it certainly didn’t have to change now that they were going through this.

“I will.” And then the line went dead and all he heard was silence on the other end.

That had almost stung worse than telling her the bad news.

Almost.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen isn’t having it today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Short and sweet.

Twelve hours had passed since Owen had called Michelle and he had yet to fully recover.

Although he had tried.

But somehow drinking tequila alone in his office hadn’t helped.

And neither had Gwyn’s attempt at making him feel better by making him dinner.

So instead he had dragged himself to bed after one too many drinks and far more dinner rolls than necessary.

He had been asleep before his head had hit the pillow.

And he had been sleeping soundly until his phone had gone off, scaring him half to death as he shot up in the bed, searching for the source of the sound.

He recovered quickly, but not before he realized it was almost three in the morning.

Whoever it was that was texting him so loudly needed to go to bed.

But when he saw Michelle’s name on the screen he couldn’t get the phone open quick enough.

_My mom is going to come stay with Iris. I should be in town sometime later today._

He felt his heart skip a beat.

She was coming home.

Albeit, for something very bad.

But at least he could have her in his arms and they could get through this together.

_You can stay with me and TK. I’ll pick you up from the airport. Just let me know when._

He didn’t expect an answer back, figuring that she had probably sent the text in between fits of sleep like she used to do.

Once again though, she surprised him.

_Sounds good. I should land around 2:30pm your time._

That was less than 12 hours away.

He shouldn’t be giddy over this, but damn did he need to see her.

_I’ll be waiting._

He realized after he had hit send that that sounded so cheesy and ridiculous, but it was already done.

She didn’t reply to that text though and he sighed, flopping back against the mattress as he closed his eyes.

Hopefully he could fall back asleep, if not, tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

Luckily he had dozed back off, and when he had woken up again it was almost 8:00am.

So he had dragged his butt into the shower and gotten dressed without much care for his appearance.

And when he finally made it downstairs he was shocked to see both TK and Carlos standing in his kitchen.

“Morning sunshine.” He could hear the sarcasm in his son’s voice and he didn’t appreciate it.

“Morning.” His response was growled more than said and he felt bad, sort of.

“You doing okay there Cap?” Carlos really just needed to start calling him Owen, especially when he was still hungover and in his own kitchen.

“Too much tequila.” He whispered back, letting out a sigh of relief when TK handed him a cup of coffee with a smile.

“So we heard…” Gwyn must have ratted him out.

“Uh Cap, sir…” Nervous Carlos made his head hurt, he really shouldn’t be scared of him anymore. “Did you ever get to talk to Michelle?”

He snapped his head up and let his eyes settle on the younger man, watching as he swallowed nervously.

“Yeah, she’s uh, she’s flying in later this afternoon.” Carlos looked relieved and Owen smiled. “She wants to be here, to see everyone, especially if Tim’s mom can arrange a service in the next few days.”

“How was she?” It was TK who asked the question and he felt a twinge in his heart.

“She was shaken up.” As she had every right to be. “But you know how she is…”

“Stronger than ever?” Carlos of all people knew that about Michelle.

She never really let you see just how vulnerable she was, not unless you were one of the special few.

Owen had been edging in on being part of that club before she had taken her leave of absence.

“Always.” He just hoped that she didn’t keep her wall up the entire time she was here, because he knew that once she went back to New York and to Iris, that was it, her support system was gone, and dealing with grief was not something she should have to do alone. “Anyway, I’m gonna pick her up around 2:30 and she’s gonna stay here.”

“Uh dad…” He turned toward TK and raised an eyebrow. “Where is she gonna stay?”

“The guest room…” That’s what it was there for wasn’t it?

“Mom’s staying in the guest room…” Oh shit, Gwyn, how was he constantly forgetting the woman’s presence?

“Well that’s fine, she can crash in my room.” Both TK and Carlos raised an eyebrow at him and he instantly regretted his choice of words. “Not like that! I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Not that he minded sharing a bed with her.

But that was totally not what this was about.

“You’re not sleeping on the couch dad.” He was thankful TK didn’t take it any further from there, though he could tell that he desperately wanted too. “She can have my room, I’ll stay with Carlos.”

Carlos was the one to raise a questioning eyebrow in his direction this time.

“That’s a great idea babe, except, I’m crashing here while they fix my hot water heater…” Oh yeah, so that’s why Carlos had been around so much the past two days, “that leaked, all over my house.”

“Oh, right.” He certainly didn’t mind the other man crashing there, in fact, when Carlos stayed over it normally meant he got a break from having to do all the cooking, but this, well this was going to make things a little interesting.

“It’s fine.” And really, it was, it certainly wasn’t worth stressing out over. “Michelle can take my room and I’ll take the couch and it will be fine.”

He didn’t want TK and Carlos stressing over this.

And he certainly wasn’t going to put Gwyn out on her ass.

And he wasn’t even going to suggest to Michelle that she stay elsewhere.

No, he wanted her here and that was final.

Both his companions huffed out an ‘okay’ before leaving him alone in the kitchen.

He couldn’t help but sigh as he shook his head back and forth.

This was certainly shaping up to be a rather stressful turn of events.


	4. Chapter 4

But Owen was determined to not let that show when he picked Michelle up at the airport later that afternoon.

So instead he sat in the chair and tried to smile and did his best not to dig his fingernails into the backs of hands too hard.

And then he saw her, as beautiful as always, walking at the back of the crowd of the people that were leaving the plane.

He stood up and waved, watching as she finally noticed him and moved toward him slowly.

She already looked like she was an emotional wreck and she hadn’t even been home 30 minutes yet.

“Hey you.” He reached out for her, but she simply nodded her head at him as she stopped beside him.

He expected her to step into his arms, to at least give him a hug, but this, this was unusual, even for her.

“Do you uh, do you have any other bags?” He noticed that she was carrying a small carry-on and he hoped that she hadn’t tried to cram all of her belongings into that thing.

“Yeah.” And then she was starting toward the baggage claim line and he simply sighed as he followed behind her.

This wasn’t exactly going to plan either.

So after a painfully silent drive to Owen’s house, he decided that he couldn’t handle watching her go through this alone.

“Michelle…” He reached out and squeezed her thigh with his right hand, watching as she turned toward him with tear filled eyes. “I’m here if you need to talk, you know that right?”

“I know.” She nodded her head before reaching up and wiping at her eyes. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He exited the car then, grabbing her suitcase from the back before leading her to the front door and inside.

The house was quiet, which he was thankful for, Michelle was stressed enough as it was and she didn’t need the added pressure of more people being in her face, even if those people were TK and Carlos.

“You can take my room.” He lead the way upstairs, stopping outside his bedroom door before turning toward her. “Um, Carlos’ water heat busted and flooded his place, so he’s crashing with TK.”

“Yeah he told me.” He should have figured that much, they were best-friends after all. “Thank you Owen, but I don’t mind taking the couch.”

“No, I won’t have you sleeping down there alone.” She was a big girl, she could take of herself, there was no reason for him to say that. “I just… the bed is more comfortable anyway.”

He pushed the bedroom door open and let her walk inside ahead of him.

“Owen…” She turned to face him and he braced himself for some kind of comeback that he wasn’t prepared for. “The bed is plenty big for both of us.”

And there it was.

A response he never expected from her.

“Michelle…” Again, he definitely didn’t mind sharing a bed with her, but that wasn’t what this was about.

“We’re two adults Owen, if we can’t sleep in the same bed with each other than perhaps I shouldn’t be staying here at all.” He wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but he would go with it.

“Okay then, we’ll share.” He would do it her way. “But if it gets uncomfortable for you…”

“Then I’ll go crash at Judd’s.” He didn’t know why he didn’t think of that option first.

Well, actually, he knew why.

Because he wanted her close.

“Okay.” He nodded his head before letting go of her suitcase and stepping back. “I’ll let you get settled in. Take your time. We can order out for dinner.”

She shook her head as she watched him leave the room, closing the door behind him.

He let out a sigh as he stood in the hallway by himself.

He wasn’t expecting any of this to be easy, but damn this was harder than he thought.


	5. Chapter 5

It had only gotten harder though as Michelle had spent most of the night in the bedroom alone.

He hadn’t minded giving her her space, but after a while he felt like she was avoiding him, and that, well that he hated.

“Michelle get here okay?” The sound of Gwyn’s voice once again made him jump and he really needed to do a better job of remembering that she was still here.

“Uh yeah.” He didn’t know why she was concerned, but he guessed she was probably wondering where the other woman was. “She’s upstairs.”

“Upstairs?” Oh wait, he probably shouldn’t have said that. “Is she staying in TK’s room?”

“Nope.” Well this was awkward.

“Did she kick me out?” He knew Gwyn was just joking, but there was an irony to her statement, and in her voice, that made Owen swallow.

“No.” That left only one location and when it dawned on her she simply nodded her head with a knowing smirk.

“Ah…” He shook his head back and forth as he stared back at her.

“It’s not like that Gwyn, really.” He didn’t know why he was defending himself to his ex-wife, if she was allowed to have a boyfriend, which he was very aware that she did, than he was allowed to have a, well, Michelle wasn’t his girlfriend by any means, but she had to get the picture. “We’re just friends. She just needs a place to crash.”

“Uh huh.” But she knew, what she knew he wasn’t sure, but she knew. “Just friends. Right.”

She winked at him and smiled before patting his arm and walking away.

Whatever she thought was happening between him and Michelle, wasn’t.

Mainly because they hadn’t even talked about that part of their relationship yet.

But also because she wouldn’t come out of the bedroom and talk to him at all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snuggles, that is all.

When bedtime rolled around he crept into the room silently, taking note of Michelle who was curled up on her side with her back to the door.

He moved around as quietly as possible before sliding into the bed beside her.

He didn’t know if he should say something, especially because he didn’t even know if she was awake, so he simply sighed.

“I wasn’t trying to ignore you earlier.” Well at least there was that.

“It’s okay. I get it.” And he did get it, all he wanted to do lately was be alone too.

“I talked to Tim’s mom.” He hadn’t expected those words to leave her mouth and he quickly rolled over to face her, surprised when he saw that she was now facing him. “It was… hard.”

“I bet.” He had had a hard time with the conversation and he didn’t even know the woman.

He couldn’t imagine how Michelle had felt talking to a woman that she had known for decades about the death of her son.

“She asked if we could meet for coffee.” The tears that formed in her eyes made Owen’s heart hurt and he wanted nothing more than to reach out and wipe them away. “I told her I would.”

“That could be good.” He imagined it wouldn’t be easy, but good, yeah he could see how that could help them both.

“She asked if you would come along.” Well that was, not what he expected. “She said Tim talked about you a lot. About the whole crew actually.”

He couldn’t imagine those were all good stories though.

“She wants to meet the man who was there at the end.” The sob that followed those words made him forget all about decency and boundaries and any unspoken rules they may have had and he pulled Michelle into his arms without a second thought.

He didn’t know how to respond, so he didn’t say anything.

Instead he held her close and rubbed her back and let her get it all out.

And when he looked down twenty minutes later to see that she was asleep, he didn’t even bother to try and move her.


	7. Chapter 7

The next two days seemed to be over before they even started and the next thing Owen knew it was the morning of Tim’s funeral.

Michelle had been quiet ever since her breakdown the other night, even when they had met with Tim’s mom, even when she had been reunited with Judd and Grace and Carlos.

She had just seemed, so, lost, and it was killing him.

He had tried to talk to her, but he didn’t want to push her too far.

And from what he understood, neither Judd nor Carlos had gotten much out of her either.

He was beginning to wonder if maybe being gone was hurting her more than it was helping her.

“Earth to Owen…” He snapped his head up from his phone at the sound of Gwyn’s voice, letting out a soft sigh as she waved her hand in front of him. “You about ready to go?”

“Yeah.” He nodded his head as he pushed himself to stand, grabbing his suit jacket off the back of the chair before leading the way to the door. “Did the boys already leave?” 

He had heard them up and getting ready long before he had extracted himself from the bed, the spot beside him still warm, indicating that his companion hadn’t gone too far.

“About an hour ago.” He guessed they we’re probably picking up some of the others, either that or sneaking in a coffee run before they had to be at the funeral home. “Michelle went with them.”

That was when he realized that he hadn’t seen the other woman all morning and he sighed.

Now she was just trying to avoid him and that hurt.

He simply nodded his head before heading toward the car, Gwyn following along behind him silently.

She hadn’t needed to stay for the funeral, but she had insisted, wanting to be there for them if they needed it.

He was thankful, but it was entirely unnecessary.

The ride to the funeral home was done in silence, his eyes focusing on the road ahead of him as he tried to focus his mind on anything but the fact that Michelle was clearly pushing him away.

He had thought they had moved past this before she had left for New York, but apparently not.

And when he saw her standing in the parking lot with Carlos and Grace something inside him ached.

He knew she was hurting and that something was bothering her, something more than losing a friend and former colleague, something else was going on.

“Hey you.” He stopped beside her, his eyes taking in a quick scan of the simple black dress and heels that she had worn.

He knew it was wrong of him to think she looked beautiful in a dress that she was wearing to a funeral, but he couldn’t help himself, she really was pretty perfect looking.

“Hey.” Her response was quiet and she refused to meet his eyes, but she stepped into his space in a way that was very obvious to everyone around them.

Especially Grace, who raised an eyebrow as a smirk formed on her lips.

He shot her a look that hopefully said ‘not now’, but she simply chuckled before looking around them, heading in the direction of Judd and TK when she noticed them.

Carlos stood awkwardly on the other side of Michelle before excusing himself with a shake of his head as well.

It was comforting to see that he wasn’t the only one confused by this predicament they were in.

“You were gone when I got up this morning.” He turned his attention back to the woman beside him and she simply sighed.

“Sorry.” She whispered, her hands fiddling with the simple black purse she was holding. “Carlos said something about coffee and muffins and my stomach kinda decided for me.”

“I hear that.” He nodded his head like he understood, but he didn’t. “Shall we head inside?”

Not that he wanted to get this whole thing started, no, rather, he’d much prefer to go home and go back to bed.

But Michelle nodded her head before turning toward the building, following along behind their friends as they made their way inside the small brick building.

Owen knew this day would be hard for them all, but he’d feel at least a little bit better if he knew that Michelle was going to be okay.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I made Gwyn a total Owelle shipper and I don’t feel the least bit bad about it.

The funeral had gone good as far as funerals went and Owen had sat in the back with Gwyn on one side of him and TK on the other.

He had tried to wait for Michelle, to pull her into the space on his other side, but she had hung back, seemingly on purpose, and waited for TK and Carlos to sit down first.

After the service was over they had all agreed on enjoying a drink at the Honky Tonk in Tim’s honor, foregoing the graveside service in honor of letting the man’s family be together with him one last time.

Owen had been okay with the idea, until they had all crammed themselves at two tables, passing pitchers of beer around as they laughed and joked and settled in for the afternoon.

Suddenly he felt entirely too claustrophobic, which was not something he normally experienced, and so he had excused himself and made his way outside.

He stopped before completely exiting though, the sound of a familiar voice catching his attention.

“You doing okay?” It was Gwyn, talking to who he wasn’t sure, but he held his breath until he knew who it was. “Michelle right?”

Oh great.

“Yeah, that’s right.” The lack of snark in Michelle’s voice told him all he needed to know, she wasn’t in fact okay. “I’m um… I’ve been better.”

An honest answer given to a complete stranger, well that was very unlike her.

“Yeah, I can imagine this hasn’t been easy on any of you.” He had been thankful for Gwyn’s support, as had TK, but he couldn’t imagine being in Michelle’s shoes and pushing everyone away. “You two were close?”

“We uh, we were, yeah.” That made his heart ache for her even more. “It was hard, leaving them behind yeah know?”

Owen had never liked Michelle’s decision, but he had respected it.

“Owen told me you moved to New York?” He really should learn to keep his mouth shut if Gwyn was just going to go around and tell everyone everything he said. “For your sister?”

“Yeah.” The deadpanned answer didn’t surprise him one bit, when it came to Iris, she seemed to always shut completely down.

There were a few moments of silence where Owen did his best not to breathe too loud or move an inch for fear of interrupting them.

He knew it was wrong to be nosy, but, he couldn’t help it.

He had never expected, in a million years, that they would meet face to face.

Much less that they would seem to be having a conversation with each other.

At least they weren’t talking about him.

“So you and Owen huh?” Oh shit.

“Huh?” He could hear the confusion in Michelle’s voice and he prayed that she either played stupid, or just went with it and spilled her guts.

It would be more than he had been able to get out of her lately.

“I know he can be… a lot.” Well gee thanks Gwyn.

“There’s uh…” Oh come on Michelle, just say it. “There’s nothing going on between us.”

That wasn’t the answer he wanted and he sighed.

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re a terrible liar?” Gwyn’s honesty and bluntness may be working for her in the courtroom, but here, well here in Texas it might just get her in trouble.

“Carlos tells me that all the time.” At least the man wasn’t afraid to call it like he saw it.

“I knew I liked that man.” Honestly, he didn’t know how anyone could not like Carlos. “But no changing the subject. We were talking about you and Owen.”

“There is no me and Owen.” He knew she didn’t mean anything by it, but damn those words hurt a little.

“I know he can be hard to love, trust me.” He didn’t know where she was going with this but he was afraid to find out.

“It’s…” Well at least she didn’t say she didn’t love him. “It’s not like that. Owen…”

“Is addicting.” Well gee thanks Gwyn.

“That’s an understatement.” Um, excuse me?

Did they just agree on something?

This wasn’t going to end well for him was it?

“I won’t even pretend to know what you’re going through Michelle, but I do know this,” He found himself holding his breath as he waited to see what she could possibly have to say, “Owen is a good man to have on your side.”

He guessed maybe their twelve years of marriage hadn’t been all that bad after all.

“Yeah, I know.” So then why was she pushing him away? “I’ve been uh… burned before.”

“If Owen knows how to handle anything honey, it’s fire.” This woman and her metaphors.

Michelle let out a chuckle and he felt his heart flutter, he had missed that sound.

“Thanks for not hating me.” Michelle’s whispered response made him sigh.

“Why would I hate you?” That was a very good question.

“You were his wife…” Yeah, but that had been fifteen years ago.

“Was, honey, was.” Gwyn was always the voice of reason and he had been stupid to never realize that back then. “I’m sure plenty of other women have loved him since then.”

That was a lie, definitely a lie.

Sure he had remarried that one time, a decision he still questioned to this day sometimes.

And he had a few little flings.

But no one had loved him since Gwyn, and he was certain that Michelle would never reach that point.

“You seem like a nice enough person Michelle, and Owen seems quite smitten with you.” He did what?

Was he really that obvious?

“He is not smitten.” Oh yes, yes he was.

“Oh please, I know Owen better than anyone on this planet, our son included.” He didn’t doubt that, even though they only saw each other a few times a year, she still managed to read him like a book. “I know what he looks like when he’s starry eyed and in love.”

She was making him sound like a teenager who had his first crush.

Michelle simply chuckled again and he risked a glance outside, watching as she ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh.

“Thank you, for this.” Gwyn smiled at her and patted her arm softly.

“You’re very welcome.” He would make sure to make her words count for something later, it was the least he could do. “But don’t leave him hanging, trust me, he’s a good support system to have. You’re gonna need him through this.”

“I think you might be very right about that.” He hoped that counted for something and that Michelle would follow through.

He watched as Gwyn nodded her head before stepping back and moving back toward the door.

He quickly made himself look like he was heading out and ‘accidentally’ bumped into her as he was going.

“Oh hey, sorry.” He offered the woman a smile as she stared him down, her eye brow raising as she let her eyes trail over his face.

“I’m gonna get TK to take me back to your place.” She crossed her arms over her chest as she gave him a look, she was on to him. “You should talk to that woman of yours and get some things sorted out.”

He was planning to do just that.

“Will do.” And then he watched as she turned on her heel and headed back inside the bar, leaving him standing in the entryway all alone.

He let out a sigh before turning back to the front door and heading outside.

He and Michelle had a lot of talking to do.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen and Michelle finally get themselves together, and then, well, get together.

But their talking hadn’t happened in the car ride on the way back to his house.

And it hadn’t happened once they both made it inside and headed upstairs.

Instead, they both stood silently in the middle of Owen’s bedroom staring each other down.

He had so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t know how to say it.

And from the looks of things, she had a lot to say too.

But after a while the tension became too much, so Owen did the only thing he could think of.

He took three giant steps toward her, cupped her face in his hands, and slammed his lips against hers like his life depended on it.

She was shocked, obviously, and judging by the way she took a slight step back it had completely thrown her off.

But not ten seconds later she was stepping into him, her hands going up to grip at the lapels of his suit jacket, pulling him as close to her as she could manage.

This was so much better than talking.

And the feeling of her lips finally pressed against his, well that, that was better than anything he had ever imagined.

But the kiss hadn’t lasted nearly long enough before she was pulling back, her eyes staring him down as she took deep breaths.

“What the hell was that?” Okay, so maybe he should have discussed this with her first.

“I just…” He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “You know how long I’ve been waiting to do that?”

She raised an eyebrow as she scrubbed at her face, sighing before crossing her arms over her chest.

And then she was uncrossing them and closing the distance between them once more, her lips pressing against his with a fervor he had never seen from her before.

He got that she was confused, but if this what confused got him, than so be it.

When she didn’t make a move to pull away, he let his right hand move to tangle in her hair, his left hand settling on her hip as he held her close.

She was moving her hands around his sides and up and down his back and damn did it feel good to finally be touched by this woman.

He could only imagine what it would feel like to get her hands on his skin.

“We should stop.” She pulled back suddenly, her head falling to his chest as she took a deep breath, her hands fisting against his dress shirt.

“Why?” There were actually plenty of reasons why they should stop, but he really didn’t want to think about them right now.

No, right now he was only focused on one thing.

And that one thing was the fact that he finally had her in his arms.

“It just… I’m…” She was stumbling over her words and honestly he found it adorable.

“Michelle,” He reached out and gripped her grin softly, moving her head up until they were eye to eye, “do you really wanna stop? Or do you wanna just see where this goes?”

He felt stupid for asking that, he knew where this was going to go, and he knew it was going to be good.

But he would never push her, especially not given what she was going through.

“I think we know where this is going Owen.” Okay, so she realized it too.

There was definitely a spark there.

“So what do we do?” He would leave it up to her from here, hell, who was he kidding, he would always leave it up to her.

Everyone liked to joke that he was a player and that he got around, but he never did anything with a woman that they never wanted him to do.

Michelle was no different.

In fact, he would go as slow as molasses for this woman if that’s what she wanted.

“I mean…” She shrugged her shoulders as she gave him a playful smirk, “it’s been a while…”

She toyed with the button on his jacket nervously and he smiled.

“Something tells me that won’t be a problem.” God his pickup lines were so lame and judging by Michelle’s laugh, she had to agree with him.

“Take me to bed, Captain Strand.” She winked at him and then busted out laughing, and he couldn’t help but join her.

At least he knew he wasn’t the only one who needed to work on his game.

Hopefully after tonight though, his game wouldn’t matter and he’d have the girl all to himself.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Owen and Michelle finally get it together. (contains smut)

Three hours later Owen woke to the sound of his bedroom door opening, his head snapping in the direction of the noise, his eyes wide as he tried to judge who it was before he even saw them.

“Dad?” Yeah, not the person he wanted walking into he bedroom right now.

“Go away TK.” He tried not to sound upset, but the naked woman sleeping beside him was liable to do more than angry whisper at him if she heard him in the room.

“Is that…?” Yes, yes it was, and no, no he didn’t want to talk about. “Oh Jesus Christ, I’m leaving.”

And then the door was shut and the room was bathed in darkness and silence once more.

He knew he should’ve locked the door.

But frankly, he had been a little preoccupied, what with stripping Michelle down and taking his time kissing every inch of her body.

And then she had returned the favor, very, very slowly.

It had been almost painful waiting to get her back in his arms, his lips wanting nothing more than to kiss her senseless once again.

It had been worth the wait though, and once he had finally settled above her and slid into her slowly, it hadn’t taken either one of them long to reach the edge.

The second time though, well, that time he had gone nice and slow and he had memorized every noise she made and every look on her face.

He would certainly never forget what had just happened between them.

He just prayed that she wouldn’t regret it.

The mumbled nonsense coming from beside him brought him back to the present and he watched as his companion stretched and then snuggled back into the covers, her eyes opening over the edge of the blanket as she stared at him.

“Hi.” He whispered, his hand reaching out to push her hair from her forehead.

“Hi.” She whispered her response as well, her hands tugging the blanket closer to her chest as she rolled onto her side to face him. “Did we?”

“Oh yeah.” How could she not remember that, it had been rather fantastic, or so he thought.

“So… not a dream?” Nope, not a dream.

And if it was a dream, than he wanted to go back to sleep.

“Not a dream.” He shook his head as he waited with bated breath for her response.

“Thank God.” He was glad to hear that she didn’t seem regretful of what had just happened between them. “I was a little… worried.”

“Worried?” He raised an eyebrow as she pushed herself up some, propping her head up in her hand as she let the covers fall down, exposing her shoulders and the patch of skin just above her breasts.

“I was worried it was a dream and that was going to make being around you very, very awkward.” He nodded his head like he understood what she was talking about. “Because, you know, it was… it was good.”

“Just good?” She had to give him more than that.

“Okay, so maybe it was fantastic.” She rolled her eyes as she spoke but the smirk on her lips told him all he needed to know.

It had totally been worth it.

“Why thank you.” She had played just as much a part in making it fantastic as he had, but he would take a compliment when it was given. “I’m glad I could rock your world.”

Jesus his pick up lines needed work.

Michelle laughed as she reached out and pulled him to her, his body moving to hover over hers under the covers.

“I never said that…” He could tell by the twinkle in her eyes that she was thinking it though.

“Well then maybe we need to try again?” He certainly wasn’t opposed to trying as many times as she wanted, after all, practice makes perfect right?

“I don’t know… can you keep up?” She quickly rolled them over, her legs straddling his waist as she leaned down and started pressing kisses to his neck. “Perhaps you need a nap first.”

“I already took a nap.” He exhaled as she bit down in just the right spot, chuckling when she huffed at him. “Besides, you were the one falling asleep earlier. Yeah know, that really doesn’t help a man’s confidence?”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” She moved her head back up so that she could lock her eyes with his and she smiled. “You wore me out.”

“Well how about we try again?” He rolled them again, pinning her arms above her head with one hand as he let the other snake down her naked body slowly. “I promise you’ll want to stay awake for this.”

He dropped his head down to her chest, pressing kisses over every inch of exposed skin, paying extra attention to each of her breasts.

He moved his head down to her stomach next, pressing a kiss to the scar above her belly button, chuckling when she squirmed under him.

And then he moved down to press a kiss to the inside of each thigh before stopping his head right above her curls.

She huffed out his name in a frustrated growl and he chuckled.

“You okay there?” He held himself in place as he whispered his question, tilting his head up just enough to catch a glimpse of her pushing herself up onto her elbows and staring down at him.

“What do you think?” He already knew the answer to that question, but he was prepared to let her answer instead.

But she didn’t, and instead she flopped back against the sheets with a sigh.

He took that as his sign to get a move on.

So he dropped his head down between her legs, his lips pressing against her core softly, eliciting a whimper from her that made his toes curl.

He let his left hand move to her thigh, pushing her leg down slowly before settling on the underside of it, holding her in place.

And then he went about setting a decent pace, his lips and tongue moving against her folds in a perfect rhythm.

Judging by the moans she was making, he was doing something right, so he picked up his pace.

Her hands fell to his head, gripping his hair just tight enough to tell him that he better not stop, not that he had any intentions of doing so.

It didn’t take her long to start arching her back, her body writhing against the mattress as she reached the edge.

And one sweep of his tongue over just the right spot sent her tumbling down, her hands tightening around his hair for a second before they went lax against his head, her body sinking into the bed with a contended sigh.

“Good?” He pressed a kiss to the inside of her thigh before moving up to press one against her hip, his hands running up the length of her body as he kissed his way back to her lips.

“Mhm.” She nodded her head, her eyes closed as the lust slowly left her, her arms wrapping loosely around his shoulders.

“Good.” He buried his head against her neck, his teeth dragging over her pulse point before pressing kisses against the red marks.

She’d definitely have a hickey there in the morning and he prayed she had a way to cover it up.

Not that he cared if anyone else knew what was going on between them, but she would.

“Sleepy.” She nuzzled her head against his and he chuckled against her shoulder before rolling off of her and settling on his back beside her.

“Come here.” And then he tugged her toward him, letting her settle against his side with her head on his shoulder, her right arm thrown over his stomach as she tangled her legs with his. “Get some sleep.”

He pressed a kiss to her head as he heard her mumble a ‘goodnight’, and then she was breathing softly as sleep took over.

He knew it wasn’t quite night yet, but he’d take it.

And as far as ‘nights’ had gone, this had been one of his best.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just lots of angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only more chapter left after this. Thanks to everyone who’s been reading!

When Owen woke up the next time the clock on the nightstand read 3:24am and he couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

It had been almost twelve hours since he and Michelle had fallen into bed together, and his bladder and his stomach were reminding of such.

So he slowly untangled himself from his bedmate and made his way to the bathroom, stumbling through the motions as he tried his best to remain quiet.

He must have failed though because when he stepped back into the bedroom Michelle was sitting on the edge of the bed with the blankets wrapped around herself, her hair a wild mess on top of her head as she stared straight ahead.

“You alright there sunshine?” He could tell she was disoriented and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Early.” She sounded like a little kid who had been woken up before they were ready.

“Well, yeah.” He moved to grab his discarded boxers from the floor, pulling them on as he searched for her bra and panties. “We just spent 12 hours in bed.”

“Hmmm.” She simply shook her head before standing, clutching the blanket to her as she started toward the bathroom.

“You know, I’ve seen you naked, you can drop the sheet.” She looked down at the item in question before turning back toward him, letting the object fall to the floor as she stared him down.

Sure she had been beautiful while she was naked and laying in his bed, but now, with the light of the bathroom shining over her just right, she looked like a goddamn angel.

“I’m gonna shower.” She shook her head at his smirk and headed into the bathroom, starting the water and waiting, her head falling forward as she twisted her neck back and forth.

“Want some company?” He hadn’t meant to scare her, but when she jumped as he laid a hand on her hip he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Are you going to behave yourself?” She turned to give him a threatening look and he simply smiled back, raising an eyebrow as he nodded his head slowly, and then shook it back and forth in contrast. “Fine.” 

She stepped into the shower then, letting the water cascade over her as she closed her eyes, and he couldn’t help but stand there and stare.

The sound of her clearing her throat broke him from his thoughts and he simply shook his head back and forth before discarding his boxers and joining her.

He had kept his promise to behave, mostly, and after nothing more than a heated make out session, he had exited the shower and left Michelle to take her time.

Which she had done, clearly, because she didn’t join him downstairs until almost twenty minutes later, dressed in black leggings and a t-shirt he knew had been sitting on his dresser when he had left the room earlier.

He offered her a water but she had snagged the bottle of tequila off the counter instead and made her way to the backyard, pushing the patio door open before shooting him a look over her shoulder.

“Care to join me?” He couldn’t help but nod and smile, dropping the bottle of water he had just grabbed back into its spot and grabbing two shot glasses from the cabinet before following her onto the deck.

He watched as she took a seat on the stairs, the same place he had sat a few days prior when he had decided to call her and tell her of Tim’s death.

The same place he had sat a few months ago when she had told him that she was leaving for New York and that she didn’t know when she would be coming back.

Dropping down beside her he grabbed the bottle and poured them both a shot, handing her her glass as she let out a sigh.

“I don’t wanna go back to New York.” Those were not words he expected to hear from her, not now, and probably not ever.

She had seemed so convinced that this move, while hopefully temporary, was what was best for her and Iris.

But now, well now he had a feeling she wasn’t so sure about her decision anymore.

“I don’t want you to go back to New York.” He had never wanted her to leave in the first place.

Sure, they had simply just been friends then, but there was something there, something below the surface, something brewing, and he knew that she had felt it too.

Sometimes he wondered if he was part of the reason that she had wanted to go.

If maybe she was afraid of what would happen between them if she had stayed.

It was a little late for that fear now though.

“Tell me not to go back.” She downed the shot before pouring herself another one, drinking it instantly, her eyes closing as she let the liquid coat her throat. “Tell me not to go back and I won’t.”

He shook his head when she turned to look at him.

“I can’t do that Michelle.” He wouldn’t do that, regardless of how much he wanted her to stay, he needed it to be her decision. “You have to be the one to do it, to want it, not me.”

She let out a frustrated growl before downing another shot and that’s when he realized he hadn’t even taken his first one.

But suddenly, he didn’t feel like drinking anymore.

“You know Iris told me she hated me.” Well that came out of nowhere. “Right before I left. I went to tell her that I was coming home for a few days, that a friend had passed away, and she just stared at me. She wouldn’t speak, wouldn’t even acknowledge what I was saying.”

She downed another two shots before she continued and Owen wondered if he should take the bottle from her.

“So I told her who it was that had died. I told her it was Tim.” She choked out the man’s name as a tear rolled down her cheek and he couldn’t help but reach over and take her hand in his. “She said I was lying, that I was just making excuses, that I wanted to hurt her.”

“You would never do that.” He didn’t know much about Michelle’s relationship with her sister other than it was complicated, but he did know that she would never intentionally say or do anything to hurt the other woman.

“Maybe I did.” She shrugged her shoulders as she sniffled, her hand reaching up to wipe at her face as she shook her head. “She and Tim, they… they dated for a while, years ago.”

“Really?” He never would have seen that one coming.

“It was a relationship that made sense to no one but them.” She chuckled softly as she turned to look at him. “They were good together though. I mean, before Iris got sick, she was… she wasn’t like the monster that she is now.”

He nodded his head like he understood, but despite all the reading he had tried to do on the topic, schizophrenia made no sense to him and he wouldn’t pretend to know what it was like.

“They broke up pretty amicably, no hard feelings, they were just moving in two different directions.” She turned her head away from him then and looked up at the stars above them. “She started seeing Dustin after that and things got, awkward.”

“That guy was kind of a dick.” He didn’t really know much about him, but from the few not so nice words they had exchanged, he got the impression that he was quite a few steps down from someone like Tim.

“Yeah, he was.” She chuckled in a way that made his skin crawl and then she downed another shot, this time not even bothering with the glass and just drinking straight from the bottle.

Owen was certain she was going to be feeling it before too much longer.

“But yeah, she told me she hated. Told me to leave and never come back.” That sounded like a pretty normal sibling fight, in fact, he was certain that he had probably told his brother the same thing at least a thousand times over their lifespan thus far. “I almost considered it.”

“What?” He turned to look at her, his eyes trying to memorize the softness of her face as she continued to stare upward.

“The never coming back.” She whispered the words as a few more tears left her eyes, rolling down her cheeks before she shook her head and shrugged. “I almost didn’t come here, I was just… I was just gonna get on a plane and go… somewhere, anywhere.”

She downed another shot’s worth of tequila and he reached over and took the bottle from her, downing some himself before setting the item out of reach.

“But then I realized that I had nowhere else to go.” She turned to face him and his heart broke at the sight of her. “It was either there, with her, or, here.”

He couldn’t imagine having nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to, it couldn’t be easy.

Hell, even though he and his brother weren’t close, he knew he could go to him if he needed too.

And he knew that Gwyn was always there, and his mother too.

Not to mention the firefighter friends he had scattered all across the country.

His ‘family’ was here in Austin, but he always had other options if he ever needed them.

Realizing that Michelle had no one, hurt.

“Well I’m glad you came here.” He reached out and tugged her toward him, sighing softly when she settled against his side, her head falling to his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. “You’re always welcome here.”

“Thank you.” She whispered softly before pressing a kiss to the small patch of exposed skin between his collar and his neck. 

“You are very welcome.” He dropped a kiss to her head and squeezed her tight, knowing that this may be the last time he got to hold her for a while.

Maybe.

Or maybe not.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saying goodbye is hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Final chapter, thanks to everyone who supported me and this story. The sequel is in the works!

The next day Michelle had spent most of the morning sleeping off the tequila hangover, and then she had disappeared out the door with Carlos for lunch.

She hadn’t returned until the next night and Owen almost felt like she was avoiding him again, but he got it, she had missed her best-friend and the cop had missed her too.

So he had simply offered them a smile when they had settled on the couch with TK and started watching some movie.

And when she crawled into bed with him that night he had wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, whispering a ‘goodnight’ before drifting back to sleep.

Tomorrow was the day she was leaving him, again.

Back to New York and back to Iris and back to the tiny apartment that she hated.

And as much as he wanted her to stay there with him and never leave, he hadn’t been able to muster up the courage to tell her to stay with him.

So instead, he had driven her to the airport the next morning and he stood with his hands in his pockets as she said ‘goodbye’ to Carlos and TK.

And then the pair was off, disappearing out the door, leaving them alone.

He didn’t want to do this.

He wanted to simply hug her and wish her ‘best of luck’ like he had done almost three months ago.

But now, now things were different.

Now he knew what her lips felt like on his and he knew what she looked like naked against his bedsheets and he knew how it felt to get lost in her.

And saying ‘goodbye’ to that, well that was a hell of a lot harder than he thought.

“Be safe.” He whispered, his feet kicking against the floor like a nervous child.

She nodded her head as she grasped the handle of her carry on tightly.

“You too.” Yeah, this was going really well.

And then he heard it, the last call announcement for her flight, and suddenly he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Remember you’re always welcome here.” He whispered as he stepped forward, reaching out for her, his hands fumbling against her face as he tried to contain his emotions. “Always.”

“I know.” There were tears in her eyes and he hated it.

So he leaned in and he kissed her softly.

And then he pulled back and offered her a smile.

“I’ll see you around?” He knew the sentiment wasn’t lost on her, that the line that they often said to each other before she had left still meant something to her.

“Yeah, I’ll uh, I’ll be around.” There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him that that wasn’t true.

That she would return to New York and lock herself away again and he’d never get her back.

But when he tried to speak, when he tried to tell her to stay, nothing came out.

So he stood there with his mouth hanging open and his eyes filled with tears as he watched her nod her head before turning on her heel and disappearing down the hallway.

“Don’t go Michelle.” He whispered softly, watching as her figure continued to get smaller and smaller until was completely gone.

And that’s when he realized that he was a little too late.

**Author's Note:**

> **Comments please.**


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